Review: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is yet another visit to the Portokalos family - this time on holiday in Greece. Starring, written and directed by Nia Vardalos, with John Corbett (And Just Like That) and Andrea Martin (Only Murders in the Building).My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is yet another visit to the Portokalos family, but does it have hidden depths, asks Simon Morris?Full disclosure, I found the original, hugely successful My Big Fat Greek Wedding alarmingly flimsy when it came out in 2002. It was the semi-autobiographical account of writer-star Nia Vardalos's love and marriage to a non-Greek chap called Ian. And it depended almost entirely on the appeal of the character Toula Portokalos's colourful - some might say obnoxious - family.Produced by Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Greek wedding 1 was a sensation. The inevitable but pointless sequel was less so, and now a third one, you'd think, must be trying the patience of the biggest fans of Greek weddings, no matter how fat.So how are Toula and Ian possibly going to get married a third time? Well, OK, there may be a little poetic license going on here. The plot - though I suspect Aristotle might quibble over that description of what's on offer in Wedding Number 3 - involves the happy couple going to Greece, in search of Toula's late father's roots. Whatever that means.And while there isn't room on the flight for Toula's entire family - who seemed to run into the dozens in the last film - there's certainly room for the most annoying ones. These include Toula's brother Nick and a couple of butt-inski aunts. And somehow Toula's daughter Paris and her ex, whose name, coincidentally, is Aristotle.Like the previous films, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has an optimistic idea of what counts as a fully rounded character. Mostly they're just a series of catch-phrases - like Victory, the young mayor of the village.There comes a time when you think if you hear the expression "Number One The Best" one more time you'll scream. Or brother Nick's habit of pointing out that something was originally Greek all the time.Or the aunts doing that lovable ethnic-aunt thing, all trying to disguise the fact that nothing seems to be actually happening.Apart from anything else, there's certainly very little sign of a Greek wedding of any size for most of the film. Mostly it's Toula pottering about looking for Dad's remaining old childhood friends, if any, for a family reunion which seems - by Portokalos standards - remarkably under-populated…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details